We Want This Chinese Uber Feature

We Really Want This Chinese Uber Feature

It’s not enough that ride-hailing service, Uber, has transformed how we get around, and is trying to dominate our food-delivery scene. Now, Uber is trying to take over all things transportation: land, air, and sea.

That’s right, Uber is taking on travel — but perhaps not quite in the way you'd expect.

At TechCrunch Shanghai, over the weekend, Uber announced two new services to its expanding family: Uber + Travel and UberLife.

Uber + Travel intends to create a seamless travel experience, giving users access to all the types of transport one would need while traveling. This service includes UberBalloon, meaning the next ride you request could be, yes, a hot air balloon; and UberBoat, for snagging a boat ride.

And UberLife acts as an in-app digital magazine to connect passengers to local events; in other words, once you get in an Uber, the app informs you about events in your area. (The goal here, from Uber's end, is to get you to stay on the app longer.)

Unfortunately, both UberLife and Uber + Travel are only available in China for the time being. But once they roll out in the U.S., we totally want to hot air balloon to work. Do you think hot air balloons are subject to surge pricing?